Dark Academia

Dark Academia is a literary and aesthetic genre that revolves around the themes of elitism, classicism, intellectualism, prestige, mystery and death taking place in a higher education setting.

Updated June 30, 2025
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
The Four
Keel, Ellie.
Paper Book
THE DARKEST DEBUT OF THE YEAR. Unsettling, Uncomfortable, Unputdownable. 'Sharp, powerful, tragic, addictive' Chris Whitaker 'Dark, compelling and beguiling' Kate Mosse 'An engrossing read' The Sunday Times 'Intensely gripping' Karin Slaughter<...
A deadly education : a novel
Novik, Naomi
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver comes the first book of the Scholomance trilogy, the story of an unwilling dark sorceress who is destined to rewrite the rules of magic. FINALIST FOR THE LODESTAR AWARD * "The dark...
All the devils
Wilson, Catelyn
Paper Book
STEP INSIDE THE DARK ACADEMIA NOVEL WHICH HAS EVERYONE TALKING THIS SPOOKY SEASON PERFECT FOR FANS OF LEIGH BARDUGO'S NINTH HOUSE AND NETFLIX'S WEDNESDAY An elite academy. A secret society. A sister who will stop at nothing to...
Babel ; or the necessity of violence : an arcane history of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Kuang, R. F.
Paper Book
Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Poppy War   "Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial...
Blood over Bright Haven
Wang, M. L.
Paper Book
The first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages unravels a secret conspiracy that could change the practice of magic forever, in this standalone dark fantasy from the author of The Sword of Kaigen. For twenty years, Sciona has devoted every waking moment to...
Bunny
Awad, Mona
Paper Book
THE TIKTOK SENSATION Meet BUNNY: the darkly funny, spellbinding trip of a novel that EVERYONE is talking about 'No punches pulled, no hilarities dodged, no meme unmangled. O Bunny you are sooo genius!' MARGARET ATWOOD We call...
Dead poets society : a novel
Kleinbaum, N. H.
Ebook
Todd Anderson and his friends at Welton Academy can hardly believe how different life is since their new English professor, the flamboyant John Keating, has challenged them to "make your lives extraordinary! Inspired by Keating, the boys resurrect the Dead Poets Society--a secret club where, free...
Hell bent
Bardugo, Leigh
Paper Book
Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. Alex Stern is back and the Ivy League is going straight to hell.Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy "Alex" Stern is determined to break Darlington...
I have some questions for you
Makkai, Rebecca
Paper Book
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by TIME, NPR, USA Today, Elle, Newsweek, Salon, Bustle, AARP, The Millions, Good Housekeeping, and more "Unputdownable and unforgettable." --Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less is Lost...
If we were villains : a novel
Rio, M. L.
Paper Book
'Enter the players. There were seven of us then, seven bright young things with wide precious futures ahead of us. Until that year, we saw no further than the books in front of our faces.' On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door....
In my dreams I hold a knife : a novel
Winstead, Ashley
Paper Book
"[A] mordant debut novel....examines what it means to covet the lives of others, no matter the cost."--The New York Times "Tense, twisty, and packed with shocks."--Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Survive The Night Six friends. One college reunion. One...
Love & virtue
Reid, Diana
Paper Book
Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist  Winner of the ABIA Book of the Year Award Winner of the ABIA Award for Literary Fiction of the Year Winner ABA Booksellers Choice Award for Fiction Winner of the MUD Literary...
Madam
Wynne, Phoebe.
Paper Book
My dark Vanessa
Russell, Kate Elizabeth
Paper Book
An instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 DYLAN THOMAS AWARD 'A package of dynamite' Stephen King 'Powerful, compulsive, brilliant' Marian Keyes An era-defining novel about the relationship between a fifteen-year-old girl and...
Ninth house
Bardugo, Leigh
Paper Book
'Impossible to put down' STEPHEN KING __________________ THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST FANTASY OF 2019 AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF OCTOBER 2019<...
Plain bad heroines : a novel
Danforth, Emily M.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER "A delectable brew of gothic horror and Hollywood satire . . . [and] what makes all this so much fun is Danforth's deliciously ghoulish voice . . . exquisite." --Ron Charles, THE WASHINGTON POST "A multi-faceted novel, equal parts gothic, sharply...
Society of lies : a novel
Brown, Lauren Ling
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * "A dark and haunting debut that explores secret societies, the bonds of sisterhood, and the intricacies of privilege at an elite college . . . I couldn't put this twisty tale down."--Julia Bartz, author of The Writing Retreat ...
Survive the night : a novel
Sager, Riley
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER One of New York Times Book Review's "summer reads guaranteed to make your heart thump and your skin crawl"; An Amazon Best of the Month Pick; Named a must-read summer book by The Washington Post, USA Today, Vulture<...
The Atlas six
Blake, Olivie
Paper Book
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake is the runaway TikTok sensation - a must-read fantasy novel with gorgeous illustrations. If you loved Ninth House and A Deadly Education, you'll love this. Secrets. Betrayal. Seduction. Welcome to the Alexandrian...
The betrayals
Collins, Bridget
Paper Book
'A sumptuous act of imaginative world-building ... Settle in, and enjoy getting lost in this captivating book.' OBSERVER WINNING WAS EVERYTHING... UNTIL IT DESTROYED THEM Two young men, Léo and Carfax, close friends and fierce rivals. ...
The Cloisters
Hays, Katy
Paper Book
The Secret Historymeets Ninth House in this sinister, atmospheric novel . . . the discovery of a mysterious deck of tarot cards lays bare shocking secrets within a close-knit circle of researchers at New York's famed Met Cloisters museum. 'Beguiling and...
The golden enclaves
Novik, Naomi
Paper Book
Saving the world is a test no school of magic can prepare you for in the triumphant conclusion to the Sunday Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate. The one thing you never talk about while you're in...
The last graduate : lesson two of the Scholomance
Novik, Naomi
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The specter of graduation looms large as Naomi Novik's groundbreaking, New York Times bestselling trilogy continues in the stunning sequel to A Deadly Education. "The climactic graduation-day battle will bring cheers, tears, and...
The magicians
Grossman, Lev
Paper Book
Lev Grossman's new novel THE BRIGHT SWORD is out now! The New York Times bestselling novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world, now an original series on SYFY "The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of...
The maidens
Michaelides, Alex
Paper Book
**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "Alex Michaelides's long-awaited next novel, 'The Maidens,' is finally here...the premise is enticing and the elements irresistible." --The New York Times "A deliciously dark, elegant, utterly...
The picture of Dorian Gray
Wilde, Oscar
Paper Book
Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life; indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman inthe eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears...
The secret history
Tartt, Donna
Paper Book
Truly deserving of the accolade Modern Classic, Donna Tartt's cult bestseller The Secret History is a remarkable achievement - incredibly compelling, dramatic and playful. Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at...
The starless sea
Morgenstern, Erin
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * From the bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world--a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea. Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont...
The things we do to our friends : a novel
Darwent, Heather
Paper Book
What is the cost of an extraordinary life if others have to pay? Clare arrives at the University of Edinburgh with a secret. This is her chance for a blank slate - to finally become who she was meant to be. And then she meets Tabitha. Tabitha is...
Tripping Arcadia : a novel
Mayquist, Kit
Paper Book
Med school dropout Lena is desperate for a job to help her parents who are approaching bankruptcy. When she is offered a position working for one of Boston's most elite families, the Verdeaus, she knows she must accept it - no matter how bizarre the interview. Working overtime, Lena discovers the...
We wish you luck
Zancan, Caroline
Paper Book
It doesn't take long for the students on Fielding campus to become obsessed with Hannah, Leslie and Jimmy. The three graduate students are mysterious, inaccessible, and brilliant. After Simone - young, bestselling author and erstwhile model - shows up as a visiting professor, and after everything...
The broken girls
St. James, Simone
Paper Book
The "clever and wonderfully chilling" (Fiona Barton) suspense novel from the award-winning author of The Haunting of Maddy Clare... Vermont, 1950. There's a place for the girls whom no one wants--the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good....

Cover may be different.


Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.